Estimated 5,000 People Evacuated From Mariposa County Due To Detwiler Fire

An estimated 5,000 people have been evacuated from Mariposa County because of the Detwiler Fire.

Most are staying in hotels, or with family or friends.

Mitch and Kathy Boze are staying closer to home. They are parked with their two dogs in an RV in the parking lot of the Tap Room in Catheys Valley. It is right at the edge of the mandatory evacuation area.

"So, last night, we watched it come over the hill and it just burned and they putdown retardant and the wind blew and it came back up and that's where our house is," says Boze.

She also says her home has been spared so far.

Andrew Tiner doesn't know the fate of his home.

"We could see flames cresting the top of Guadalupe Mountain and because we are only a mile from there or less, we decided it was time to get in the car and start moving," says Tiner.

He and 250 others are in five Red Cross Shelters. He is in the Planada shelter. Three are in Oakhurst. The fifth was in Groveland but is now in Sonora.

Some people are checking in at the shelters, so that family members looking for them know they are safe.

Bob reports on all things northern California and Nevada. His coverage of police technology, local athletes, and the environment has won a regional Associated Press and several Edward R. Murrow awards. Read Full Bio